


Seasons

by Echoe



Series: one word prompts [1]
Category: Sweet Elite (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24759967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echoe/pseuds/Echoe
Summary: Neha likes summer, you like winter.You two have fun showing the other what's so great about your season.
Relationships: Neha Rao/Scholar, Neha/Scholar
Series: one word prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1790629
Kudos: 7





	1. Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt :  
> estivate (v.) - to be inactive or asleep through the summer’s heat and then come awake and alive in the winter

Neha does not share your passion for winter.  
That's something you're learning as you go through your first winter at Arlington.  
She avoids going out as much as she can, wears these really heavy coats and will very often be rubbing her hands together, seemingly having a hard time keeping them warm and when inside.  
She does not thrive in winter. (You feel like she'd hibernate if she could.)  
You're pretty sure the only thing she likes about it is the opportunity to design winter clothes.

Meanwhile, you're happy to see the cold settle in. Everything is dying and you can wear all the oversized hoodies you want and not melt underneath.  
(The only real problem you have is that, the colder it is, the more warm and comfortable your bed seems and the harder it is to get up in the morning.  
It means you need to adapt your morning routine, because you end up spending a good half hour just hyping yourself up to get out of bed.)  
Neha not liking winter as much as you do doesn't bother you, though.  
Thanks to that, you get to show her all the cool things about the season.

When you go out shopping for whatever fabrics she needs for her newest clothes, you can hold her hand and tell her it's because you know she gets cold easily.  
Sure, it keeps only one of her hands warm, and she had pointed it out, once.  
That had made you stop to clasp both of her hands together between yours with a smile.  
(You had had half a mind to bring them up to your lips to kiss them, but you had felt like that would have been too much. You weren't sure Neha would have been comfortable with that.)

"I mean, if it's a problem, we can just stay like this."

Her cheeks had darkened. She had hesitated for a bit.  
Had eventually said, very softly, that keeping one hand warm was the best you could do, really, and so you had resumed walking while holding her hand, all under the pretense of keeping the cold away.  
(Of course, you both knew there was more to it than that, but neither of you had felt the need to point it out.)

You also enjoy inviting her to your room for hot chocolate and completely platonic (yeah, right) cuddles under a big warm blanket. (Because, hey, if she's cold, you're totally willing to sacrifice yourself to keep her warm. It's all for the greater good with no ulterior motive at all.)  
You rarely have plans for those meetings. You don't invite her to watch a movie or something, you just chat. Or sit in silence, enjoying each other company. Neha isn't the most talkative person, so it happens often enough, and that's more than fine.  
(You always feel at peace around the girl. Like nothing bad can happen, or like everything will be okay.  
You treasure that feeling.)

But the months pass. New Year comes and goes. The weather starts getting warmer.  
Neha loses the heavy coats.  
Spring's getting nearer.

So, sometimes during March, as the two of you are going back to the school after getting tea and cakes, you ask her if you can keep holding her hand.  
She looks at you, puzzled, asking what you mean by that.  
You mention spring approaching.  
Explain how, soon, she won't need you to keep her hand warm anymore.  
Ask if you can keep holding her hand anyway. (It feels like more of a formality than anything, really. You're pretty sure you could have kept doing so without asking.)

There's a moment of silence as you keep walking.  
A quiet and uncertain "why?" leaves her mouth.  
You tell her it's because you just like holding her hand.  
You like feeling her soft skin under your fingers.  
You like how happy it makes you feel.  
Oh and also, you like her in general (she lets out a small gasp). You say it casually, like it's the most natural thing in the world.  
(It is. Loving Neha comes to you as easily as breathing. It's not something you feel embarrassed about.)

"So, is it okay if I don't let go of your hand?"

You hear her take a shaky breath (you don't know that, but she's very conscious of how fast her heart's beating), and she turns her head to you with a shy smile.

"Yeah. I think I'd like that."

That's how Neha becomes your girlfriend.  
There's nothing dramatic about it, no tears spilled, no emotional confession.  
Just the natural progression of your relationship.


	2. Summer

Time passes.  
It's summer, now.  
The dreaded season. (For you, at least.)

"Why did I agree to come with you again?"

You wipe sweat off your forehead. It's drenched already, even though you wiped it, like, five minutes ago.  
You're suffering.  
Neha raises an eyebrow, glacing your way.

"Because you like rivers, and we're going to one. Also, you've been spending too much time inside-"  
"It's 35°C! Can you really blame me?"

You miss the AC. And the ice cream. And the cold showers.  
You could really use one right now.

"-that doesn't dispense you from going out every once in a while. You spent an entire week on your phone, lying in bed under the AC."

Okay, the way she words it makes it sound a _bit_ pathetic.  
(In your defense, though, you know that most students who are still staying at the dorms have been dragging themselves around too, because of the heat. Most really don't have the energy to do anything.)  
She stops walking, so you do, too, and she fully turns to you with that soft, warm smile of hers on her face.

"What really convinced you, though, was that I really wanted to spend time with my girlfriend."  
You blink.  
"Oh. Yeah."

You chuckle, blushing a bit. You remember how disappointed she had looked when you had first said no yesterday, because the prospect of walking for more than ten minutes under the scorching sun had been extremely unappealing.  
She hadn't said anything for a while, sitting silently on the edge of your bed, your head resting in her lap and the rest of your body curled around her (which was kind of dumb, it made you a lot warmer, but you like being close to her).

"Please?"

Her tone had been almost pleading and it had startled you, and you had looked up to find her staring down at you, a small, sad smile on her face.

"We haven't gone out together in a while, just the two of us." She had brought up a hand to play a bit with your hair. "I miss it."

Immediately you had grabbed her hand and lightly pressed your lips against the tips of her fingers.  
(Her cheeks had darkened, and it had made your heart swells. She always looks adorable when her face heats up.)

"I'll go with you."

Her smile had widened, and it had made you feel a lot better, but then you'd noticed the slight satisfaction hidden behind it.  
Wait a minute.

"Thank you. We'll go tomorrow, alright?"

She had played you like a damn fiddle.  
Neha had probably noticed your scandalized face then, because she'd let out a low chuckle and had bent down to kiss you on the forehead.  
This woman will be the death of you, you swear.

And now you're walking on a dry dirt road with her, and there's so little shade there that you feel like the sun's beating you with a stick. You might be wearing sunglasses and a cap, but they don't help much.  
You'd give anything for a few big trees to offer some protection against the deadly lasers.

"I mean, I'm happy to be with you, don't get me wrong. But, like, I also feel like I'm melting right now."  
"You're just being dramatic."  
"Not everyone is as heat resistant as you!"  
"You know, if you keep complaining like this, you're going to sound like Karol."

Cue the offended gasp. She giggles and resumes walking. You're quick to follow.  
After a few minutes, she points to a group of trees not too far away.

"See those trees? That's where we're going. You just have to hold on a bit longer."

You squint at the trees. Okay, sure, that seems doable. Probably.

"Alright, but I'm still going to complain every two minutes."

She sighs, but there's nothing but fondness there. (Thankfully. Had she sounded annoyed, you would have shut up immediately.)

You walk in silence for maybe fifteen more minutes, and it's not too bad honestly, because as you get closer there are more and more trees hiding you from the sun.  
Now you can hear the sound of running water, and soon enough you catch sight of the river.

You immediately take off running like an excited puppy and in seconds you're mere centimeters away from the water, evaluating its depth.  
You can easily see its rocky bottom. You'll be fine.  
You're kicking off your shoes when Neha calls out to you.

"Wait, Anna, your bag!"

Oh, yeah, she needs that.  
You wait for her to catch up to you and hand her your backpack before removing your socks and stepping into the water.  
It's _cold_ and you _love it_.  
Neha doesn't join you, sadly, instead taking out a blanket from the bag and laying it out on the grass, a bit further away from the riverbank.  
Once she's sitting down and looking up at you, you wave energetically in her direction. She smiles and gives you a small wave back.

"You don't wanna join me? The water's really cool!"

She examines you for a few seconds, then shakes her head.

"No thank you. I doubt it's all that clean."

You blink then look down. I mean, yeah, there's definitely algae in there, and your feet are going to be gross once you get out, but...  
No, okay, you get her point. Oh well.  
(You at least want to splash her, so you kick water with your foot in her direction. It doesn't reach her. She's sitting too far away for that.  
... She's smart.  
Though it doesn't stop her from sliding backwards as far away as she can on the blanket.)

You get out of the water after a few minutes anyway, because as much as you're enjoying its coolness, walking on rocks is really starting to hurt your feet, so you tiptoe your way into the grass.  
Sweet soft grass. You let out a sigh of relief.  
You approach Neha who's rummaging through the bag.

"Watchu looking for?"  
"Just the- ah, there we go."

She takes out the box of biscuits you two baked the evening before, in prevision for today.

"Want one?"

Oh, that would be great. You sit down next to her while she opens the box and picks a chocolate biscuit.

"Here."

She holds up the biscuit, and in one swift motion you bend down to grab it with your teeth, then throw yourself backwards to let it fall inside your mouth.  
Neha watches with a look that's between wonder and shock, with maybe a tinge of embarrassment too, if the color on her cheeks is anything to go by.

"That... works, I suppose." And she takes a cookie for herself while you giggle and fall down onto the blanket.

If you're being completely honest, the heat is still very much a problem. Now that you're lying down, you can feel how drenched your back is and it is, quite frankly, disgusting and uncomfortable.  
But, at the same time, everything feels so peaceful here. It's quiet save for the sound of flowing water and a few chewing noises, and now Neha is inching closer to you and you shift just enough to rest your head into her lap, and it's...  
It's nice.  
It's really nice.  
You still think winter is vastly superior, but.  
You suppose you _could_ give summer a pass.  
Yeah.


End file.
